Help requests on the Terminology list.
Thread poster: Vittorio Preite
Vittorio Preite
Vittorio Preite  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:55
English to Italian
+ ...
Jan 21, 2020

I have come back in after some years where I have been otherwise engaged. In the past I have often spent time giving thousand of answers to colleagues wheres my requests wre only a handful, at times posted just to see what came up. May be this topic has been addressed in the past. If find unsettling and totally unfair that translators get assignments , on the basis that they are specialits in the subject, and then proceed to post scores and scores of terminology questions on subject that are c... See more
I have come back in after some years where I have been otherwise engaged. In the past I have often spent time giving thousand of answers to colleagues wheres my requests wre only a handful, at times posted just to see what came up. May be this topic has been addressed in the past. If find unsettling and totally unfair that translators get assignments , on the basis that they are specialits in the subject, and then proceed to post scores and scores of terminology questions on subject that are clearly out of their competence. I get even more annoyed when they win bids from other more competent colleagues (on which basis I know not) and then come here and post tens of question whose anwers are often provided by those very colleagues who were passed by by the committent. All the rosettes, bows, and spurious brownie points on Earth do not make up for experience. Agencies should check more carefully about real proven competence and not base their choice on up beat self serving statement. All they need to do is to see if their assignement has ended up on the Terminology help list here to understand whether the job is in safe hands. When I see tens of lines of help by the same person I steer clear now. Just to make a point.Collapse


Tom in London
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
P.L.F. Persio
Alison Jenner
Jessica Noyes
Tina Vonhof (X)
Matthias Brombach
 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:55
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Same here Jan 21, 2020

Vittorio Preite wrote:

..... Just to make a point.


Your point is well made and perfectly reflects my own thinking. When I was new to Proz and started chatting online with a couple of other users, they invited me to join their "conspiracy" to ask Kudoz questions and answer them ourselves (awarding points to one another) so that we would always be top of the list. I have no idea whether or not they are still doing this, but whether they are or not, I agree that the Kudoz system should be taken with a pinch of salt.

IMHO the most reliable way for a prospective client to assess the skill of a translator is to look at the "Portfolio" section of their profile, where it's much more difficult to cheat. I would like Proz to do more to publicise the "Portfolio" section.

[Edited at 2020-01-21 09:21 GMT]


P.L.F. Persio
Vittorio Preite
 
Eva Stoppa
Eva Stoppa  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 19:55
English to German
+ ...
Possibility of viewing Kudoz Jan 21, 2020

But do Translation agencies have the possibility at all to view Kudoz? There are some fora where freelancers cannot Access as they are for Translation agencies. Is it possible that the same goes for the Kudoz and only freelance translators have Access to that section?

 
Rolf Keller
Rolf Keller
Germany
Local time: 19:55
English to German
Deep links are your friends Jan 22, 2020

Eva Stoppa wrote:

But do Translation agencies have the possibility at all to view Kudoz?


Everyone can do that. Just logout from ProZ, then google for kudoz proz stoppa.


 
Anne Maclennan
Anne Maclennan  Identity Verified
Local time: 19:55
Member (2010)
German to English
+ ...
Thousands of questions Jan 22, 2020

I totally agree with all these comments. Some of the "askers" have chalked up a total of thousands of questions. In my opinion offering translation services, while relying extremely heavily on the skills and knowledge of others, comes close to being fraudulent in offering one's services as a competent translator.
In any case it is a flagrant abuse of an otherwise very useful service.


Vittorio Preite
 


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